"England will leave a decision over Ben Stokes' involvement in the T20 World Cup as late as possible" - Head coach Chris Silverwood
England head coach Chris Silverwood has revealed that the authorities are leaving the decision on Ben Stokes' involvement in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad as late as possible. Last month, Ben Stokes decided to take an indefinite break from cricket in a bid to concentrate on his mental health.
He is yet to make a comeback onto the cricket field after that. Stokes has already missed the Test series against India and will miss the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE as well.
As the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman is approaching, all the teams have to announce their squads within the next few days. England will be announcing their World Cup squad on Thursday.
But before that, they are in confusion over the status of Stokes' availability for the tournament. Chris Silverwood recently spoke to the BBC about Stokes' situation and his status for the World Cup.
Silverwood admitted he did not have a direct conversation with the star all-rounder, but some of his teammates have been in touch with Stokes. He then added that he would not exert any pressure on the all-rounder and only wants him to get well soon.
"England will leave a decision over Ben Stokes' involvement in the T20 World Cup as late as possible," he said. "I'll be putting no pressure on him or rushing him, and whatever support he needs, he will get. I will give him as much space as I can, but there are people talking to him. My only concern is for him. I just want to make sure he's OK. Once we've got to that, the rest of the questions will come."
England bring in Jos Buttler and Jack Leach into their squad for the fifth Test
Meanwhile, Jos Buttler is back in the England squad for the final Test after missing the Oval Test due to the birth of his child. The hosts have also strengthened their spin department by including left-arm orthodox spinner Jack Leach in the squad.
England squad for fifth Test: Joe Root, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
The fifth Test between India and England will commence on September 10 at Old Trafford.